Royal Caribbean Fans

The new all-you-can-drink soda machines that Royal Caribbean has been rolling out on ships in recent months are proving a major hit with passengers.

"We ran out of product on the first voyage," Royal Caribbean director of fleet beverage operations Bob Midyette told USA TODAY. "It was more popular than even what we thought it would be."

The specially-designed soda machines are a modified version of the Coca-Cola Freestyle dispensers that Coca-Cola began unveiling in 2009, which are capable of offering 125 flavors of various Coke products using medical micro-dosing technology and flavor cartridges. Royal Caribbean is the first cruise line to debut the machines, which can produce everything from raspberry-flavored Coca-Cola to peach-flavored Fanta Zero.

"It is in my mind the next evolution of non-alcoholic beverage service, a leap forward to what you could offer through the traditional system," Midyette says.

Midyette notes it's faster for passengers to grab a soda from the machines than to order one from a bartender, and passengers love the variety of sodas available from the machines, including more than five dozen sugar-free beverage options and drinks without caffeine or carbonation.

"Customization is the key thing," he says. "You can make an orange Coke if you want."

Royal Caribbean is charging $6.50 per adult per day for a soda package that includes access to the machines -- the same amount as Royal Caribbean soda packages cost in the past (children pay $4.50 per day for a package). But Midyette says that the line is selling more packages on ships with the machines.

Royal Caribbean worked with Coca-Cola for three years to make modifications to the machines so they comply with marine environment health codes and interact with special souvenir soda cups that passengers get when buying all-you-can-drink soda packages on ships. The cups contain a Radio Frequency Identification device that lets passengers serve themselves at the machines.

Midyette says passengers must place their cups at the bottom of the machine's dispensing area, away from the liquid dispenser, for it to work, eliminating the possibility of cross-contamination when refilling cups.

The cups also have a built-in "time out" period so they can't be refilled repeatedly in short periods of time, a feature designed to discourage multiple people from sharing a cup. "We recognize that you're probably not going to drink 20 ounces of Coke product in less than a minute," Midyette says.

Some Royal Caribbean regulars have predicted that the new system could lead to "cup theft" on ships, but so far Midyette says there haven't been reports of stolen cups. "You kind of protect your cup," he notes.

The new machines already are on the line's Majesty of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas and Explorer of the Seas and will continue to roll out to more ships at the rate of about one or two a month.

Oasis of the Seas, Jewel of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas recently had their CDC Inspection in the last quarter year.

The Centers for Disease Control conducts surprise health inspections to monitor that cruise ships are safe and clean for cruise ship passengers. All 4 of the Royal Caribbean ships that were recently inspected scored a perfect 100 on their test this year.

This is the third perfect score in a row for Oasis of the Seas while the other ships have also had perfect scores in the past.

Only a small fraction of the dozens of cruise ships inspected each quarter receive a perfect score. Last year, Monarch of the Seas failed her inspection (read here) after flies, soiled plates and missing safety signs were spotted.

The Inspection Report for each of the ships can be found here;

Jewel of the Seas

Mariner of the Seas

Oasis of the Seas

Serenade of the Seas

Independence of the Seas will be getting the 'Royal Advantage' says Royal Caribbean.

The work on Independence of the Seas will be "a less extensive upgrade" compared to the work we have seen on the Vision class ships and Radiance of the Seas. The upgrade is currently due to take place in March 2013.

The Royal Advantage upgrades began in May 2011 with the revitalization of Radiance of the Seas. After the Radiance of the Seas, Splendour of the Seas followed in November 2011. Royal Caribbean continued with their plan this year with improvements to Rhapsody of the Seas in March, and Grandeur of the Seas. Work on Serenade of the Seas is scheduled for November and by 2013, the Vision Class ships will begin, starting with Legend of the Seas in January. She will be followed by Vision of the Seas in March, Brilliance of the Seas in May, and Navigator of the Seas in November.

By 2014 the remaining ships will be the Voyager class. Adventure of the Seas, in January, the Voyager of the Seas in April, and the Explorer of the Seas in November.

Royal Caribbean have announced the schedules for the 2013-14 winter Caribbean cruise itineraries and are now available to book.

Royal Caribbean plans to have Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Independence of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas and Serenade of the Seas in the Caribbean. This will bring a total of 140 sailings across 31 itineraries that will make stops at 20 different ports.

New to the schedule will be cruises out of New Orleans, Lousiana aboard Serenade of the Seas. The first cruise will be a 9-night Caribbean cruise on December 12, 2013 that will stop at Key West, Nassau, Labadee & Ocho Rios. Following that cruise, Serenade will alternate between 7-night cruises to the Bahamas and Western Caribbean.

Oasis and Allure of the Seas will continue with their popular 7-night western and eastern Caribbean cruises out of Port Everglades, Florida.

Also home porting in Port Everglades in the winter will be Independence of the Seas. She will offer 6-night cruises to the western and eastern Caribbean.

Freedom of the Seas will continue to operate out of Port Canaveral, Florida and alternate between 7-night eastern and western sailings.

Finally, Navigator of the Seas will debut in Galveston, Texas with two western Caribbean cruises. Both are 7-night sailings and one itinerary calling at Falmouth, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel, while the other at Roatan (Honduras), Belize City (Belize) and Cozumel.

Over the past few years, Royal Caribbean have been sending larger ships to serve the Australia and New Zealand region and they have been leading the way for other cruise lines to follow. The 2013-2014 season will see the broadest range of itineraries ever offered in Australia and New Zealand.

Voyager of the Seas will offer 53 itineraries along with the recently revitalized Radiance of the Seas and Rhapsody of the Seas. In total, Royal Caribbean will offer 55 cruises at 56 Australian, New Zealand and South Pacific ports, with departures from September 2013 to April 2014.

Voyager of the Seas will reposition from Singapore to Sydney on a 14-night cruise in late October 2013 that begins with an overnight in Singapore and calls at Port Keland for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Darwin and Brisbane, Australia. The ship then homeports at Sydney for nine sailings to New Zealand, Fiji and New Caledonia. 

A nine-night Tasmania cruise in early February 2014 features an overnight at Hobart on a one-time-only itinerary. At the end of the season, Voyager of the Seas will sail an 18-night Australia and New Zealand itinerary to Perth before returning to the Far East on a 14-night sailing in late March to Singapore via Bangkok.

Radiance of the Seas and Rhapsody of the Seas also homeport at Sydney from October 2013 to early May 2014, and will operate a wide variety of itineraries ranging from seven to 15 nights.

The cruises visit Australia’s Tasmania and Queensland, New Zealand, Fiji and New Caledonia. Radiance of the Seas will circumnavigate Australia twice with a 16-night north coast and a 17-night south coast and New Zealand itinerary.

Royal Caribbean commercial manager for Australia, Adam Armstrong, commented on the news, "It’s with great pleasure that we can confirm that sister ships, Voyager of the Seas, Radiance of the Seas and Rhapsody of the Seas, will be back to wow Australian cruisers in summer 2013-14. For the next two summer cruise seasons, Royal Caribbean International will be the largest cruise line operating out of Sydney, and these newly revitalised “premierships” will offer the very latest in cruising – experiences guests previously had to travel to other parts of the world to have."

“We’ve added more cruises on Australia’s first megaliner Voyager of the Seas and some new itineraries across the entire fleet to ensure that there are even more options to suit different lifestyles and needs. It’s our widest ever range of cruises Down Under."

Royal Caribbean has secured the rights to show the European Football Championships on board its ships this summer.

All 31 football matches will be shown between June 8 and July 1live on Royal Caribbean ships that are sailing in Europe, including its sister brand, Celebrity Cruises.

Passengers will be able to watch the games in select bars around the ship or on the TVs in staterooms.

Royal Caribbean vice president and EMEA managing director Dominic Paul commented, “Being able to show the games live is brilliant news for our guests, many of whom we know are passionate football fans. Often, holidaymakers are put off from going away when the big tournaments are on as they don’t want to miss the action – this way they can enjoy a fantastic cruise and, hopefully, cheer their team to victory.”

Ships that will show the games include;

Adventure of the Seas, Brilliance of the Seas, Grandeur of the Seas, Independence of the Seas, Jewel of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas, Splendour of the Seas and Vision of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean has announced that they will be deploying Liberty of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas and Serenade of the Seas, among other ships, to Europe for the 2013 season.

Royal Caribbean had previously announced Independence of the Seas and Adventure of the Seas were being deployed to Southampton, the first time ever two Royal Caribbean ships have been based there. Now there are more ships that will be sent that way too. Royal Caribbean plans to have these five ships ready for bookings with additional deployments in the region that will be announced later this month.

At this time, it is believed that Jewel of the Seas will be making Harwich its home port once again for cruises departing in the summer to the Baltics and Norway.

Royal Caribbean vice president Dominic Paul commented on the plans, "Royal Caribbean International is the perfect choice for couples and families to experience and share all the wonders, flavours and colours of Europe. Liberty of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas, and Serenade of the Seas already offer holidaymakers so many things that other operators do not, such as the DreamWorks Experience onboard Liberty of the Seas, or a real ice-skating rink featuring breath-taking shows onboard Navigator of the Seas and even self-levelling pool tables onboard Serenade of the Seas."

Royal Caribbean's Cupcake Cupboard restaurant that is found on its Oasis class ships, as well as some of its recently refursbished ships, has inspired a new cookbook that the cruise line has launched all about cupcake recipes as well as ice cream flavors.

"Cupcakes & Scoops" features recipes to bake the perfect cupcake. The cookbook costs $34.95 and can be purchased aboard Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas as well as online.

Included with the book is 1 apron, 1 piping bag, 3 piping tips, 25 regular cupcake liners, 25 mini cupcake liners and 12 decorative picks.

A $1 donation from each book sold will be benefit the cruise line’s charitable partner Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Royal Caribbean has now unveiled its summer 2013 cruise itineraries for Alaska. The Rhapsody of the Seas will be one of the ships offering trips to Alaska for that season along with Radiance of the Seas.

From May 17 through Aug. 30, 2013, Radiance of the Seas will offer alternate seven night north and southbound cruises between Vancouver, Canada and Seward, Alaska.  Alaskan ports of call include Ketchikan, Icy Strait Point, Juneau and Skagway. Additionally, guests will cruise the Inside Passage as well as get an up-close view of Hubbard Glacier.

Rhapsody of the Seas will also sail every Friday on a seven-night, round-trip Alaska cruises from Seattle, stopping at Juneau and Skagway, Alaska, and Victoria, British Columbia. Passengers will also visit through Alaska’s Inside Passage, as well as venture up Tracy Arm Fjord to see Sawyer Glacier.

In addition to just cruises, Royal Caribbean Alaska Cruisetours combine a Radiance of the Seas’ sailing with a pre- or post-cruise land tour that totals to a 10- to 13-night land and sea adventure that ranges as far north as Fairbanks. For the land tour portion, guests are escorted by a Royal Caribbean Tour Director. Royal Caribbean Cruisetours include premium hotel accommodations, motorcoach transportation and admission into select attractions. Almost all 2013 Alaska Cruisetours also include a leg aboard the Wilderness Express.

Royal Caribbean International has announced the order of a second ship for their new Project Sunshine class. The first of the ships for Project Sunshine will be delivered in the fall of 2014, while the second will be delivered in spring of 2015. Both ships will be built by German shipbuilder Meyer Werft.

Royal Caribbean has been very quiet about the details of Project Sunshine so far, and even their president and CEO, Adam Goldstein said that details of the 'Sunshine' might not emerge for maybe another year. Although, Royal Caribbean did release a rendering of their new Falmouth port complex (below) and it seems to include a ship that is larger than the Freedom Class, but smaller than the Oasis class. Could this possibly be the new Project Sunshine design?

(Image Source: www.cruisecritic.com)

Chairman of Royal Caribbean International, Richard Fain, commented that, “This confirms our continued confidence in the success of this new generation of ships and our strong conviction about the Royal Caribbean International brand.”